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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25023466">The Things They'll Say</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/KatyaZel/pseuds/KatyaZel'>KatyaZel</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bigotry &amp; Prejudice, Hogwarts, M/M, Post-Battle of Hogwarts, Remus Lupin Lives, Sirius Black Lives, Teacher Remus Lupin, anti werewolf prejudice</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 07:21:36</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,347</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25023466</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/KatyaZel/pseuds/KatyaZel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Minerva had told Remus that there might be interpersonal issues if  he chose to teach again. He listened to her warning, but the pull to teach was stronger. Still, when he overhears a particularly unpleasant conversation from his coworkers, it's all Sirius can do not to drive Remus mad.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Sirius Black/Remus Lupin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>110</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Things They'll Say</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This originally appeared in a longer piece I was posting, but I since deleted that piece. Still, I like this part and wanted it out in the world. Enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Remus sat in his office in the early-November afternoon light, trying to grade his fifth-years’ essays. He had been staring at the same one for ten minutes without reading a word. He was shaken from his spiraling thoughts by a loud scratching noise coming from behind him. Startled, he turned and saw Padfoot outside his window, paws against the glass and tongue hanging out.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>Remus smirked and opened the window with a faint smile. “I don’t think dogs are among the acceptable pets around here,” he said mildly. It was hard to be too excited about anything today.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>Sirius didn’t immediately pick up on this. He transformed and smiled smugly at Remus. “But then, I’ve never much cared what’s acceptable, have I?” He gave Remus a quick kiss before darting behind his desk and flopping into Remus’s chair. He picked up the first essay on the stack and squinted at it. “How do you read this? Orthographically, I mean, not content, though I don’t know, maybe that too. How do you feel about coming home early? And by home I mean London. I’ve been meaning to go to that new Thai restaurant I told you about but they always fill up so early.” He looked expectantly at Remus, eyes and teeth glinting a smile.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>Just being in the room  with Sirius felt exhausting today. “I’m sorry, but I need to finish grading these. I have to return them tomorrow so they can use my corrections to revise.” He gave Sirius and his chair a pointed look.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>Sirius wrinkled his nose, but stood. Remus reclaimed his seat before Sirius could change his mind. “When will you be done? We </span>
  <em>
    <span>have </span>
  </em>
  <span>to go to London tonight, it’s been ages and ages, for you, anyway,” Sirius needled. “I know it’s nice to be all settled and everything but don’t you get </span>
  <em>
    <span>bored </span>
  </em>
  <span>sometimes? Come on, let’s go out, really go out, pretend we aren’t ancient.” Sirius was bouncing with an energy Remus knew all too well, the energy that defied containment.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“Sirius, I can’t.” Remus heard the edge creeping into his voice, and tried to reign it in. “We’ll go this weekend, maybe, but you know it’s a Wednesday night. I can’t just go tromping around London when I have to teach in the morning.”</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“Call in sick! Who’s watching the lunar calendar, anyway, besides us? Just chalk it up to that pesky moon.”</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>Remus snapped. “Will you shut up? I’m not using lycanthropy as some sort of excuse. I told you I can’t go out tonight, and I meant it, and you need to respect that.” He shut his eyes and breathed deeply.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>The long pause that followed eventually made Remus open his eyes to find Sirius gazing intently at him. He knew how difficult it was for Sirius to be still and think carefully in a mood like this, and some part of him softened. How much they’d grown. There was a time Sirius would have taken Remus’s harsh tone and flat denial as round one of a verbal boxing match. Now, though, Sirius sat on the edge of the desk and took Remus’s hand and said, “What’s wrong? I’m sorry. What’s wrong? What happened? I’m sorry for pushing you.”</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“It’s okay,” he replied slowly. “It has not been...a pleasant day.” He relived his morning briefly: the walk towards the faculty lounge, the laughter and raised voices emanating from within. Stopping and smiling, taking a moment to be grateful to have coworkers and a break room and all the normalcy he wanted. And then hearing what they were saying, Rolanda Hooch and Horace Slughorn and Septima Vector. </span>
  <em>
    <span>You know, my dears, Remus was a student of mine, of course, quite promising in many ways, though I never took him under my wing. For obvious reasons, of course. </span>
  </em>
  <span>And laughter. And </span>
  <em>
    <span>I thought Dumbledore had gone mad when he hired him, and now it seems Minerva’s gone the same way. I mean, honestly, around the children?</span>
  </em>
  <span> And a snort. And </span>
  <em>
    <span>Not that that’s the only reason to keep him away. You know he’s living with Sirius Black? They can say all they want but Black’s still a madman in my book. </span>
  </em>
  <span>And </span>
  <em>
    <span>Lycanthropic, bent, and hopelessly bad at dressing himself. </span>
  </em>
  <span>And laughter.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>Remus had stood there, perfectly still, until the sound of footsteps approaching in the corridor roused him, and he began to stride towards his office. A friendly squeak made him look down--“Good morning, Remus! Will I be seeing you at tea with Poppy today?” Remus could barely respond to Flitwick before rushing off. All day, he had been distracted and twitchy, trying not to think about the overheard conversation and failing miserably.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>Now, he swallowed and decided to tell Sirius some of it. “I overheard some of my colleagues, ah, discussing my shortcomings. Not professional ones, but personal.” Sirius’s face grew stormy, but Remus continued with a sigh. “It really did me in, as far as enjoying the day or being remotely productive go. You know the ways my brain works, with these tightening spirals.”</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>Sirius’s eyes were ablaze. “What did they say, and who said it?” He began pacing.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“It was what I always get. The typical </span>
  <em>
    <span>get this queer werewolf away from our children </span>
  </em>
  <span>fare.” Remus left out the parts that concerned Sirius; that would add yet another layer to this conversation, and Remus wanted to end it quickly. Sirius opened his mouth to speak, but Remus put his hand up. “And no, I will not tell you who it was. We don’t want you to actually become a mass murderer today.”</span>
</p><p>
  
  <em>
    <span>“Moony. </span>
  </em>
  <span>They can’t say shit like that about you. Tell me who it was, I’m not going to hurt anyone, I just want to know. Or tell McGonagall, at least, right? She’s on your side. God, I can’t believe imbeciles like that are even </span>
  <em>
    <span>allowed </span>
  </em>
  <span>to work here.” Sirius was furious, and Remus was scared of it.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“Will you please calm down? Just go home. I’ll be there soon, I promise, but will you </span>
  <em>
    <span>please </span>
  </em>
  <span>just leave me alone?”</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>Sirius made a noise of frustration deep in his throat. “You always just--let people get away with these things, with saying things like that, and you never act for yourself. Do I really still have to fight your battles thirty years later?”</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>Remus stood up. Anxiety and aggravation were very similar feelings in his chest, and he wasn’t sure which was predominating right now. “I am not </span>
  <em>
    <span>asking </span>
  </em>
  <span> you to fight any battles. In fact, I’m explicitly asking you </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>to. You need to stop assuming you know better than I do how to handle something I’ve been dealing with for my entire life.” He shut his eyes; he didn’t want to fight. Whatever anger had flared in him, he let die down. He was so tired. He thought he might collapse. “Please, Sirius,” he added quietly. “Please, will you go home? I just need…”</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>When Sirius did not immediately speak, Remus opened his eyes. Sirius was looking intently out the window, breathing very deliberately. Remus, emotional as he was on this day, felt a rush of love for Sirius. He was trying. Finally, he spoke. “I’m sorry. I’m angry, at them, and you have to let me have that, at least, especially if you won’t be mad. But I shouldn’t have said that. I am sorry. I’ll--I’ll leave.” His speech was still rapid, but it had lowered in nervous pitch. He took one of Remus’s hands and smiled weakly at him. “Bring the essays home. I’ll help you grade them. I’ll cook something and have tea for you.” He started to go.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>Remus stopped him, and told him with his eyes that he was grateful. With his words, he said, “It’s been a long day. I don’t know that I can stand a new culinary experiment tonight.” </span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>Sirius smirked. “So you </span>
  <em>
    <span>do </span>
  </em>
  <span>want me to take you out. Alright, Lupin, but don’t be late. I’m not a patient date.” And he transformed and left the way he’d come in.</span>
</p>
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